I know I tend to name kids "Timmy" (TIMOTHY 0.640%, TIM 0.104%, TIMMY 0.019% =~ 0.763% of the male population) and there's a lot of "Sally" going on out there (SALLY 0.135%, SALLIE 0.024%, SALLEY 0.001% =~ 0.160%)

"Bobby" also shows up a lot, but it's more justifiable (ROBERT 3.143%, BOBBY 0.223%, ROBERTO 0.097%, BOB 0.055%, ROBBIE 0.016%, ROB 0.013%, BOBBIE 0.010%, ROBBY 0.008%, ROBT 0.005% =~ 3.570%) I was surprised that "Janice" was more popular than I thought. "Smedley" and "Snidely" don't even make the list of first names, though there are about 2.5 times as many "Sherman"s than "Adolph"s.

Anyway, if you find yourself repeating the same names over again and you want a little inspiration, take a look at the files and see what strikes you. And if you're looking for a dead-giveaway generic alias, take one each of the top ten first and last names ("My name is James ... Smith, human. I am normal.")

Note also that "Boris" is only slightly less popular than "Kareem," though I wouldn't read too much into that.

Were you spying on our rehearsal? I made a vow just last night to stop calling kids "little Timmy." Lasted all of 15, maybe 16, minutes.
But from now on, every last one of the little bastards will be a Donald.

I'm trying to make a point to use the extremely modern baby names of today. Sally and Timmy were born in the 1940s, but today's babies have names like:

"Tiffany/Brittany/Ashley/Nevaeh/Taylor/Savannah/Emma, sweetie, get mommy another Xanax!"
"Dakota/Hunter/Bradley/Kareem/Chase/Zach/Lance/Luke, the Grand Marnier is only for grownups..."

Simple, plain Anglo-American names like Timmy/Tommy/Johnny and Mary/Sally/Ann really don't get much play among people having babies nowadays. There is a shift towards surnames and names that sound more regal than plain, plus the usual Biblical or manly standards among boys.

I still assert that Lance Armstrong would not be as revered and famous as he is if he were named John Smith or Melvin Weiner.

I was riding a wave when I was named, 121 in the 1970's. Although names starting with "W" in general are in a nosedive! Could be worse, though, I could be a Myron. Those poor bastards have all but died out. Or a Mort--no wonder no one has any Uncle Morts anymore. This also explains why I work with so many Peters between the age of 40 and 60.

That's it, I'm doing away with this notion that characters need names at all. I will either call everyone I'm in a scene with by a petname ("snickerdoodle," most likely, but perhaps "lollipop" or "mon petit singe") or an assigned number ("Number 4726, get in here!")

Oddly, my name was number 1 in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's...but my wife's name has never been in the top 1000 ever in any decade. Which makes us mediocre by averaging the popularity of names (a popular mathmatical formula, am I right, Andrea?)

"Oh, shit. We're being pulled over.""Is it us?""No, it's someone else, and he's pulling us over to tell us who it is, like a courtesy"